Babies to Adults

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Plonk

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Plonk
How long does it take for a baby to grow into an adult? I have ordered 2 axolotl babies for my kids. I know its great for them to watch them grow, so I was just wondering.
 
It can vary a bit. Axolotl.org says between 5 months and a few years. It depends a fair bit on diet and water conditions. My axolotl took about 10 months to reach sexual maturity and was about 19cm. 18-20cm is generally about the age they become adults.
 
I ordered a white/pink and a gold, both babies. The petshop told me that it will be hard to get these colours as I am getting them as babies and you cant really tell the colours of them so young. So Im thinking that I should change my order and get adults now.
 
If they're about 5-7cm in length you should know their colour type by then. We bought our first axies at about 5cm length - 3 dark wildtypes and 3 leucistics (white/pink with dark eyes).

So ask them what do they mean by babies and what size will they be.

The young goldens I've seen also slightly bigger than this do have a very distinctive golden colour (as opposed to the leucistics white colouring) with light/white flecks.
 
They told me that they are about 5cm long.
I saw an adult today and I fell in love with it. It had pink toes and frills and clear eyes. I wanted to take it home but I couldnt.
Should I be worried about the babies with the temps that I have here west of Brisbane even though I will be having frozen water bottles and the polysyroam (sorry for the spelling) around the 3 sides?
 
Like you Plonk I'm also in Brisbane. I find doing the frozen bottles helps as brings it down from the 27 degrees I get during the day but I'm just biting the bullet and getting an aquarium chiller. The bottles help in my opinion with maybe bringing it 2 degrees down (if I have 5 2L bottles in there) but besides the good ole fridge the chiller is by far good but if you don't have that side of money stick with the bottles they have done wonders for those creeping hot days. I also get a peddlestool fan out and place it above my tank I find it helps somewhat. I haven't had any baby axolotl's though but I think they operate the same as all the other axies with temp & all.
 
Plonk, set up a tank with water, add your frozen bottles and poly stuff around the outside of the tank and take regular temperature readings throughout the day...Monitor this for a few days, if you can't keep the temp in the low 20's, then if you can afford it invest in a chiller. Whatever method you use, if you just can't keep the temperature in the low 20's then dont buy axolotls.
 
I asked my last question as I was under the impression that babies were more sensitive to the heat. How much does a chiller cost in Australia? I have lots of bottles ready to go also the polysyrine around the edges as well as a fan over the top. Everything seem to be going real well. My tank is 4ft long. I just didnt want to risk having babies in this heat.
 
To get a decent chiller will cost at least $400 I believe seeing as you have a decent sized tank. Also if you buy from US (which is often cheaper than from an aquarium here), you'll need to make sure the power can work in Australia. I would recommend doing a lot of googling and comparing prices!
 
Mines a 6 foot & my chiller just recently cost $750 thru my local aquarium (they have to send it up from sydney so should be this week getting it). But look in the trading post or weekend shopper I have occasionally seen people sell aquarium chillers. I've even heard of people really doing it on the cheap side and somehow wiring up a water cooler ones you drink springwater out of to the tank but a brand new watercooler is $300 (I was thinking bout it one stage & rang companies lol). The aquarium chillers have come down alot from what they use to cost. If you got the money yeah go for it.
 
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